Sins of the Father
by coldfiredragon
Summary: When Jake Clawson was twelve his mother was killed and his father vanished without a trace. When his father returns the truth about the past could shatter Jake's life forever. Not related to my other Swat Kat fics! Mild curse words
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Swat Kats. They are the products of their creators and I have no official say in what happens to them.

**Summary:** When Jake Clawson was twelve his mother was killed and his father vanished without a trace. When his father returns the truth of the past could shatter Jake's life forever. (Not related to my other Swat Kat fics!)

Please review and let me know what you think. I love reviews!

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"_A father is supposed to do what is best for his family." At least that is what my father always told me when I was a young kat. He told me that it was the father's job to protect his family from everything that he possibly could. I failed to do that. My wife died because I couldn't protect her. I don't want to fail my kittens in the same way. I don't want to take them down with me when I seek my revenge on the ones who killed my wife. I could have saved her but I failed. I could have saved you my precious Ilia but I failed._

The dark figure sighed and slumped down in the chair that stood behind a large desk. The position that the kat found himself in did nothing to ease his aching heart because it brought him eye to eye with the reason for his mourning. He stared across the desk at a picture frame with two pictures. With shaking paws he reached over and pulled the picture frame to him.

The picture on the left held a picture of Ilia, the one she-kat he had ever truly loved. He remembered the day it had been taken. He and Ilia had taken their kittens on a picnic for their son's birthday and Ilia had brought along a camera for the occasion. The picture showed Ilia setting on the dark blue blanket they had brought with them. She had been wearing a simple white spring dress and she had been laughing at something their kittens had been doing in the background. Her brilliant green eyes were happy and the memory of her brought tears to his eyes.

The figure shivered. Ilia, his precious Ilia were gone forever. A couple of hot tears tracked down the figures' cheeks and splattered as they hit the glass that protected the picture. The figure gently wiped the tears away with the utmost respect and turned his eyes to the other picture.

The second frame held a picture of his two kittens. The photo had been taken on the same day as the one of Ilia and the unknown kat felt pain well up in his chest as he looked at the picture of his kittens. He loved them so much and he didn't want to leave them but he couldn't take them with him. He was going to get revenge against the ones who had taken his precious Ilia from him and he didn't want to drag his kittens down in the process.

That wasn't only one reason he was leaving them behind. In truth his kittens reminded him so much of Ilia, especially his son. His son was definitely his mother's. The two kats shared the same slim builds, caramel fur, and expressive eyes. The unknown kat looked down at the picture of his two kittens and a shudder passed down his spine. The picture showed his two kittens wrestling playfully on the ground beside their mother. He had managed to catch their faces when they had looked up at the camera and wide grins graced their faces. A couple more hot tears splattered against the frame and the kat wiped them away.

The picture he held had been taken two years ago when his son had been ten years old and his precious little daughter had been five. It had been nearly two months since Ilia had been killed and he had left his kittens. He knew they were being well cared for because plans for their well-being had been detailed in he and Ilia's wills. He hated living without Ilia and memories of her death constantly haunted him.

_I could have protected her. _the thought constantly haunted him and he could still see the blood on his paws from where he had held her. The unknown kat set the frame back on his desk and stared at his paws. He knew the blood was gone but he could vividly remember the red sticky tide as it had spread over his arms and chest. With a shiver he was lost in the memory of that evening.

_He and Ilia had both worked in the same division of Pumadyne Industries. For once they had both gotten done with work at a decent hour and had agreed to go to dinner before heading home for the mandatory curfew that was being enforced because of some recent riots throughout the city. What the couple had failed to realize was that several of the rioters had organized protests in the shopping area near where he and Ilia had decided to have dinner. _

_The couple had been in the middle of dinner when they heard the shouts of the angry mob down the street from the restaurant where they were eating. They had tried to leave but the mob had been closer then they thought. The couple had taken off down the street in an attempt to escape. They almost made it too but some of the rioters had gotten closer and as he and Ilia rounded a bend in the street they came face to face with an Enforcer barricade. _

_The site of the barricade had caused the couple to stop long enough for the rioters to catch up. As soon as the rioters saw the armed Enforcers several of them started firing into the squad. The youngest Enforcers had immediately returned fire and he had watched helplessly as Ilia had been shot by the Enforcers return fire. His wife had dropped like a stone with a look of shock on her face and he had drove to the ground and pulled her into his arms even as he watched her die._

His only comfort from that night was that Ilia had died almost instantly. He had been completely oblivious to the sounds of gun fire and the cries of the dying as the enraged kats clashed with the Enforcers. All he remembered was clutching the body of his wife to his chest and watching in mute horror as her blood covered his paws and soaked into his clothing. He had met her eyes and she had whispered "I love you" before permanently falling limp.

The kat placed the frame back on the desk as gently as possible. He was doing what he had to. Ilia had to be avenged and he couldn't do it if he had to look after two young kittens. The kat's eyes strayed to the picture of his kittens. As he stared at the picture he was overcome with guilt. He hadn't seen either kitten since their mother's death and he didn't really want to see them either. He didn't want to look at his son and see his wife nor did he want to upset their lives anymore then he already had.

The official Enforcer report of the incident had said that his wife had been killed and that he was believed to be dead or at least wounded. The Enforcers had also said that Ilia had died because of the rioters and not the enforcers.

It hurt that the Enforcers had written him off for dead but it made his disappearance easier. The only people who would know that his grave lay empty would be Alexander and Hannah Furlong. Although he wouldn't put it past his son to find out the truth as well, the boy was brilliant and the kat felt a sense of loss well in his chest. Maybe one day he would seek out his son and tell him the truth. With a sigh the kat reached across the desk and laid the picture flat. He didn't want to think about the past anymore and seeing the picture would continue to remind him of what he had lost and left behind.

Once he could no longer see the picture the kat picked up a remote from the desk and pressed a couple buttons. Immediately a panel on the wall lifted up and the kat inspected the contents of the hidden compartment. The last two months had not been wasted. He had slowly been preparing for his revenge against the Enforcers and to do that he would have to leave his old life and identity behind. The kat walked over to the compartment and removed a custom made mask. It perfectly fit him and when he was wearing the mask it was impossible to distinguish as a mask.

The color was dark purple with bright yellow eyes. He smiled at the work before placing the mask back with the other pieces of the perfectly tailored costume. When he put that on and began to seek his revenge he would no longer be James Clawson. When he wore the mask he would only be known as Dark Kat. James pressed a button on his remote and the door of the compartment closed. Another press of a button and the shades of the windows opened to reveal a magnificent view of Megakat City.

"Soon Megakat City will bow at my feet and its precious Enforcers will be crushed in my paws." James looked over at the frame that lay on his desk and whispered. "I'm sorry for leaving you Jake but I have to do this to avenge your mother. I only hope that you can understand and forgive me when you find out the truth."

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Well that is the first chapter guys. I hope you enjoyed it and decide to review. 


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own the SWAT Kats. They are the products of the respective creators and I have no legal right to them.**

Please review, I love reviews. If you have any questions just let me know and I'll be sure to answer them in later chapters.

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Jake Clawson slid out from under the car he had been working on for the last hour. He grabbed a rag from his belt and wiped his paws on the cloth. With his paws somewhat cleaner than they had been he sighed and wiped the thin sheen of sweat from his forehead and turned to inspect the car before him. It was an older, but still well cared for, car that had been brought in for a routine tune up. With another sigh he closed the car hood and turned toward the other side of the garage where his best friend and half-brother Chance Furlong was working on a second car.

When Jake had been twelve years old Chance's father Michael had adopted Jake and his sister Aliyah after their parents had been killed during the Megakat City riots. It still hurt Jake to look back on those events. Loosing both his parents in the same fell swoop had almost been too much for him to handle and it had forced him to grow up way too fast. If it hadn't been for Chance he probably would have ended dead in a gutter by fifteen.

The early years of Jake's life hadn't been easy. His family was not poor but nor were they wealthy. His parents both worked at Pumadyne Industries and they weren't home as often as Jake would have liked them to be. The lack of supervision had led Jake to spend a lot of time growing up by himself. By eleven he knew the ins and outs of the street life in the area where his family lived. He had excellent street skills but very few close friends. That had changed when he had met Chance Furlong. The older kat had quickly become his best friend and primary emotional support.

When Jake's parents had died it had been Chance and Chance alone that kept Jake from slipping into a world of drugs and alcohol. The older kat had stood beside him when he needed it most and Jake would be eternally grateful. Jake also appreciated Chance's father, Jake had been at a complete loose as to what to do until Michael had taken he and Aliyah into his home.

Just because he appreciated the older kat's help didn't mean he loved the kat by any stretch. Michael had tried to make he and Aliyah as much a part of his family as possible. He had tried to be a replacement father and Jake resented him for that, So much so that he had refused to allow his name to be changed after he had been adopted. Aliyah hadn't helped matters either. Aliyah had barely turned seven when their parents died and she had a much easier time adjusting then her brother did. She called Michael and his wife Hannah mom and dad despite Jake's constant attempts as a child to get her to do otherwise.

He had felt that his baby sister was abandoning their parents and he felt alone in his memories of his family. The worst memory of the past was the memory of his parent's funeral. He had found out shortly before the funeral that his father's casket was being buried empty because there was no body. This had led him to believe that his father wasn't dead and he had spent years looking for the kat only to come up empty handed.

Jake sighed again and patted the hood of the car he had finished before heading into the house. He made his way to the kitchen and grabbed a can of milk from the fridge. He used his claw to open the top and took a long drink before turning to head back into the garage. Much to his surprise he found Chance standing near the entrance to the kitchen.

Jake waved at Chance who looked him up and down for a second before speaking. His voice was full of concern. "Are you okay Jake? You've been acting kinda distant the last week or so."

Jake sighed _"Leave it to Chance to figure out that something was up."_ He thought silently. Aloud he said "Nothings wrong buddy, I just haven't been sleeping well lately." It wasn't a lie; his sleep had been having more frequent nightmares recently. Jake pulled a chair up to the kitchen table and sat down, Chance quickly followed his lead.

"It's more than that Jake. Something more than a little lost sleep is bothering you. Come on bro, you can tell me." Jake looked down at the can of milk in his paw and sighed heavily.

"I don't want to talk about it. It's… I don't know personal and hard to talk about." Now it was Chance's turn to sigh.

"Please Jake, I want to help. I can't do that if you won't let me. We promised to always be there for each other." Jake swallowed past that lump that had formed in his throat. They had made that promise and it was times like this that he regretted doing so. Finally after several seconds of silence he managed to gather up enough courage to speak.

"It's been thirteen years, thirteen years since…" Jake choked back a soft sob. Before he could regain his composure Chance reached across the table and gently took Jake's paw.

"It's okay Jake, I'm sorry I pushed. I know how bad it hurt when it happened and I didn't mean to push you about it." Jake nodded as he was still unable to speak. He knew that Chance meant well but it still hurt to talk about what had happened. Time was supposed to dull the pain of the past but Jake didn't believe that. His pain had only grown deeper as the years passed. He also envied Chance for having everything that he had missed out on as a kitten.

He was pulled from his self-pity by the sound of a car pulling up to the garage. Before he could stand and head outside he felt a hand on his shoulder. "I'll take this on buddy. Why don't you relax for a while or something?" Jake nodded, grateful that he wouldn't have to deal with an annoying costumer. He stood and headed upstairs to shower and change while Chance headed for the garage.

Upon reaching the garage Chance was surprised to find his father exiting his car. "Hey dad." Chance called as he walked over. "Is something wrong with the car?" Michael Furlong turned to face his oldest son.

"Hi Chance." Michael looked down at the car in response to his son's question. "The cars fine Chance. I just got done at the office early and decided to drop by and see how you and Jake were doing. Where is Jake by the way?"

"He just headed upstairs for a shower I think." Michael nodded. Chance sighed and leaned against the truck he had finished earlier. "I'm worried about him dad. He's been distant lately and I think he's having more nightmares." Michael nodded. He had seen how Jake acted when he was depressed.

"Have you tried talking to him?"

"Yeah but he's reluctant to talk about anything."

"It's hard for him Chance, harder than I think you realize sometimes. Most kittens don't loose both their parents when they are twelve years old."

"I know that dad, but I want to help him. He's my half-brother and I feel useless when he acts like this." Michael patted Chance on the shoulder and sighed.

"You aren't useless Chance. All you can do is be there for Jake when he's ready to talk." Chance sighed in frustration.

"I know that but I want Jake to know that I'm there for him whenever he wants to talk and sometimes it seems like he doesn't realize that." Michael smiled at his son.

"He knows Chance, sometimes it just takes time for him to ask for help."

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Okay that is chapter two, I hope everyone enjoyed and that you all want to review. If I were with you when you finished reading I would hypnotize you into reviewing but since I'm not I hope you decide to anyway. Thanks in advance to those who do.


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own the SWAT Kats or any characters and plots related to the series. **

**AN:**

**Wow the ones of you who first read this story almosta year ago must really hate me for leaving you hanging. I finally reclaimed my muse for this story and took this chapter in a totally different direction than I had planned to take it. To make up for the HUGE wait between chapters I made this chapter as long as possible. I can honestly say that it is one of the longest chapters I've ever wrote for any of my fictions. I hope everyone likes it. I won't spoil it though so you will just have to read and find out what I wrote. **

**To all my loyal readers this chapter is for you. Thanks for reviewing my work and encouraging me to write more.**

**Now on with the story.**

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_**LAST TIME **_

_Most kittens don't loose both their parents when they are twelve years old."_

"_I know that dad, but I want to help him. He's my half-brother and I feel useless when he acts like this." Michael patted Chance on the shoulder and sighed._

"_You aren't useless Chance. All you can do is be there for Jake when he's ready to talk." Chance sighed in frustration._

"_I know that but I want Jake to know that I'm there for him whenever he wants to talk and sometimes it seems like he doesn't realize that." Michael smiled at his son._

"_He knows Chance, sometimes it just takes time for him to ask for help."_

_SKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSK_

Jake made his way upstairs to his room and remained completely unaware of the conversation between Chance and his father. If he had known that his adopted father was present he would not have been happy about it. When he finally reached his room he grabbed a clean towel and a set of clothes and headed for the bathroom.

He turned the shower on and waited for the water to warm up before climbing in. Even though the hot water washed away the grime from the shop it still didn't make him feel clean. He sighed in frustration and leaned against the wall of the shower. Slowly he allowed himself to sink to the floor where he pulled his knees to his chin.

He didn't know what was bothering him to be truthful. It was getting close to the anniversary of his parent's death but he had never felt so on edge about it like he did this year. Maybe it was because so many things had changed in the last couple of years. He had never expected to be kicked out of the Enforcers and he definitely never counted on taking up a life as a vigilante. He loved his life and he loved the good that he and Chance could do but it still ate at him.

He had planned to go to grad school after he finished his mandatory years in the Enforcers. He would never have joined up if Chance hadn't asked him to do so. He could have gotten any number of scholarships, grants, and loans if he had wanted them but he had let Chance drag him into the damn Enforcers. When they had gotten kicked out and Feral had stuck them with the yard his dreams of going back to school were shot.

In a sudden fit of frustration he slammed his fist into the wall of the shower. The sudden impact should have hurt more than it did but he didn't care. It would hurt later but that didn't matter either. Suddenly he felt emotionally exhausted. He sighed and pushed himself to his feet to finish his shower. Once he was finished he shut off the water and dried off quickly.

Suddenly he decided that he didn't want to be cooped up in the house with an overly curious Chance for the whole evening. Having made his decision he pulled on a pair of jeans and made his way into his room. He threw the wet towel in the hamper before dropping onto his bed and pulling on his boots. Once he had them laced he grabbed a black sweat-shirt from his closet and headed down stairs.

It wasn't until he reached the bottom of the stairs that he realized that Chance wasn't the only one sitting in their living room. His eyes narrowed as he saw Chance talking with his father. The two kats looked over at him as he stopped and Michael stood.

"Hey Jake..." Jake sighed in frustration, if he wasn't in the mood to talk to Chance than there was no way he was going to talk to his adopted father.

"Michael."

"Can we talk for a few minutes?" Jake shook his head.

"I'm on my way out."

"I'll keep it short."

"I'm not in the mood Michael."

"Jake?"

"Not now Chance. Just stay out of it." Jake knew he was being a little unreasonable but he really just wanted to be by himself. Before either Chance or his father could respond Jake dashed out of the living room and stopped in the kitchen long enough to grab his keys, cell phone and wallet.

As he got outside he was relieved to see that his jeep hadn't gotten blocked in when Michael arrived. He had just laid his paw on the door handle when Chance ran onto the porch.

"Jake wait up buddy." A tired sigh escaped Jake's lips and he felt his shoulders sag as he looked back at the older kat.

"What Chance? I'm really not in the mood right now."

"Why are you pushing me away Jake? I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine."

"You're lying." Jake didn't know what to say in response to that. He was lying but he really just wanted to be alone with his problems and work them out on his own. Normally he would have talked to Chance but so much of his frustration centered indirectly around the older kat and he didn't want to make Chance feel guilty.

"So I'm lying. It's not the first time." He could see Chance's eyes narrow but he pushed on. "Sometimes I need to work things out on my own Chance. You can't hold my hand all the time."

"I'm not trying to hold your hand. I'm trying to be there for you when you need it but the way you push kats away makes it pretty damn difficult sometimes." Some of the anger that had surrounded Jake like a halo seemed to leave him and his shoulders slumped a little further.

"I'm not trying to push you away Chance." His voice was quiet compared to the angry tone he had used seconds before. He could feel Chance's eyes on him and sighed again. "I'm leaving. I'll be back later tonight." He and Chance usually patrol on a night like this but he wasn't going to risk mentioning that with Michael so close.

He knew that Chance would try to respond so instead of waiting he pulled the jeep down open and climbed in. As he started the engine he glanced back at the porch to see that Chance was still watching him. Without a further glance he turned the key in the ignition and backed out of the driveway.

After he had disappeared Michael walked out on the porch and stood behind Chance.

"I'm sorry Chance."

"S'okay."

"Do you want me to stay until he comes back?" Chance shook his head.

"I think that would make whatever is bothering him worse. You two never did get along that great."

"I tried Chance. It was easier with Aliyah but Jake never let me in."

"Yeah." Chance sighed and brushed past his father as he made his way back into the house. He had no idea what was bothering Jake and it bugged him. It wasn't like Jake to completely block him out like this. He could hear his father following him into the house and he turned to the older kat.

"Are you heading out or do you want to stay for dinner?" Michael considered for a moment.

"Why don't you come back to the house with me. I'm sure your mother would like to see you. You and Jake almost never come to dinner since you got kicked out of the Enforcers. She worries you know." Chance shook his head.

"Yeah, she worries all right, just like a regular mother hen." He considered the offer for a moment before nodding. "Sure why not. Give me ten minutes to take a shower and change before we head out." The older kat nodded and watched as his oldest son headed upstairs.

He was worried about Jake's attitude. The younger kat rarely snapped at anyone. Of all the kats Michael knew Jake reserved the angry snappish attitude only for him. To see him angry with Chance meant that Jake was really upset about something. With a sigh he dropped onto the couch and waited for Chance to come back down.

He wished that things would have turned out differently for the two of them. He had been extremely shocked with Feral had kicked them out of the Enforcers and forced them into the jobs they had now. It was easy to see which of his sons had taken the switch worse. The sound of footfalls on the stairs caused him to look back to see Chance coming towards him.

"Ready to go?" Chance nodded and headed for the door as Chance scribbled a note for Jake and grabbed his keys.

Once Jake got away from the scrapyard it was though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He kinda felt bad about how he had treated Chance but he was not about to go back and apologize. Chance would just have to live with the fact that the two of them weren't going to get along all the time.

He sighed and checked his fuel meter. One of the good things about running the scrapyard was the fact that the military provided them with fuel to run the yard's equipment. It would have been nearly impossible for them to fuel the Turbokat otherwise. It also kept them from having to rely on the cities gas stations when they needed fuel for their own vehicles.

One of Jake's first projects after being assigned to the yard had been to refit an old Enforcer jeep for his personal use. He had completely gutted the vehicle and rebuilt it from the frame up. It still didn't run as smoothly as a normal car but it was his and he was quite proud of the job he had done with it. Not as proud of the job he had done on the Turbokat but that was a different matter.

Seeing that the tank was nearly full and it was a nice night so he decided to drive around for a while. The rush of air against his fur calmed him and the eventually rumbling of his stomach made him realize that he had skipped out on Chance without getting dinner. Checking the area around him he recognized where he was and that there was a coffee house nearby. The place had an amazing kitchen and he knew from experience that he could find something to eat there.

Feeling better because he actually had a plan he drove through the streets until he reached the cafe. Since it was after the evening rush the place was relatively empty and the she-kat behind the bar waved for him to take a seat where ever he pleased. He chose a booth near against the wall where he could see the door and made himself comfortable.

He had just placed his order when the bell on the door jangled and another customer walked in. Being a kat, and a slightly paranoid former Enforcer he cast a quick glance towards the door. Callie, it was Callie.

In all the time Jake had known her he had never seen her dressed in anything but professional attire. To see her dressed in jeans and a dark sweater with her hair pulled back was definitely a change. She had her laptop tucked under her arm and Jake guessed that she had come down to the cafe to get some work done. She looked so much younger when she wasn't dressed for work and Jake was reminded that she was only twenty-six or twenty-seven. She had been the youngest deputy mayor in the cities history.

As she looked around for a place to sit Jake looked away from her so she wouldn't catch him staring. Even if she didn't see him looking at her she still saw him and was making her way over. Suddenly he wished he was anywhere but there. Not because he didn't want to be around her but because he had no idea what to say to her.

"Hey Jake." The sound of her voice forced him to look up.

"Callie, hi." He didn't know if he should invite her to sit down or if she planned to sit somewhere else and was just saying hello. Thankfully she spoke again.

"Can I sit down or are you waiting on someone?" He shook his head and moved gestured to the opposite side of the booth.

"Sure go ahead." She smiled at him and slid into the seat across from him and placed her laptop on the table.

"Did you order yet?" He nodded.

"Yeah but only a minute ago." He was prevented from saying more when the waitress who had taken his order returned.

"Hello Callie. Can I take your order dear?" Callie smiled at the woman and nodded.

"A pitcher of coffee and my usual."

"Working on another speech for the mayor I take it?" Callie laughed.

"When am I not?" The two she-kats laughed quietly and Jake couldn't help but smirk slightly at the comment.

"Well I'll go put your order in with the kitchen. If either of you need anything just flag me down." Jake and Callie nodded their thanks and the she-kat left her alone.

"So do you come here often?" Callie nodded.

"Often enough to have a usual I guess." Jake smirked at her. Since she had shown up his mood had lightened considerably. "What about you? I don't think I've ever seen you in here before."

"I used to come here to study when I was in college." The thought of his days in college, before the start of his time in the Enforcers was a bitter reminder of why he had left the house for the evening. Callie must have noticed that something was suddenly amiss because she questioned him about it.

"Is something bothering you Jake?" He shrugged.

"I'm just tired I guess. Business at the garage is picking up. We have a steady stream of regulars now and it's exhausting. I don't have time to do anything I used to do." It surprised Jake how easily he was able to stretch the truth to suit him. She smiled in understanding but she knew that he wasn't telling her everything.

"I can understand how that would be stressful. So where is Chance? I honestly don't think I've ever seen you two apart." She knew immediately that bringing up Chance was a bad idea by the way Jake's face darkened and she quickly tried to fix her mistake. "I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject. I'm sorry." He sighed and leaned back in his seat.

"It's okay."

"Did you guys have a fight or something?" Callie knew that she probably shouldn't push him but she was curious about what had happened between them.

"Chance thinks that he needs to know about every last thing that is bothering me. It's annoying, if I don't want to talk about something I'm not going to talk about it. He just needs to deal with it." He sighed again and looked over at Callie.

"Have you told him to back off and leave you alone?" Jake couldn't help but laugh quietly.

"Yeah about a million times. He doesn't listen." He was going to continue but the waitress brought their food out. Jake stared at Callie in amusement.

"That is a huge slice of chocolate cake. How, pray tell, do you manage not to gain weight when you eat like that?" Callie poured herself a cup of coffee and dumped about four tablespoons of sugar into it before answering.

"I'm just lucky I guess."

"If you are so lucky you won't mind if I steal a bite of that than." Before she could react he dug his spoon into the huge bowl of ice cream that was sitting beside the cake. Callie laughed quietly and grabbed a couple french fries from his plate. He couldn't help but grin at her.

"An eye for an eye." He laughed.

"Fine, let's say we call it even before my food gets cold and your ice cream melts."

"Deal." She stuck out her hand and Jake reached out to shake it.

"I didn't just sign my life away did I? You are a politician." She laughed again.

"Nope, no life signing aways this evening. I'm not technically a politician. I'm a speech writer. Most of the jobs as deputy mayor are superficial. I'm just there to make the mayor look good. He's the experience and I'm the young kat who is there to win votes." She smile and his grin widened and they lapsed into a comfortable silence as they ate. Occasionally Callie would snatch a couple of his fries and in return he would steal bits of cake and ice cream. It was more fun than Jake remembered having in a long time. They were finishing up and picking at the remnants of their meals when Jake pushed his plate away.

"I should probably get going. You have work to do and I'll just distract you." She looked over at him and pouted.

"Can't you stay for a little while longer? Just so we can talk. I didn't realize until this evening that I don't know hardly anything about you and you've been one of my mechanics for about two years now."

"What about your speech?" She shrugged.

"It isn't due for a couple of days. Besides most of the speeches I'm writing now are just a rehash of the same talking points and stump speeches I've been using for the past month. Not much changes when all he does is public appearance speeches. I won't really be busy for another year when the mayor runs for reelection."

Jake checked his watch and realized that he probably should head back if he and Chance were to go out on patrol but a quick glance at Callie's face made him realize that he didn't care. Chance would probably kill him when he got home but he would have to take that risk. The city could do without them for one night.

"Chance will kill me if I stay out too late."

"I thought you wanted to avoid him for an evening."

"I do but he's very overprotective." Callie laughed quietly.

"You act like he's your big brother and not your best friend." Jake suddenly found his leftover fries very interesting.

"He is my brother, by adoption. His parents adopted my sister and I when we were kittens." Callie reached over and placed her tiny paw over his.

"I had no clue Jake. You guys have different names so I just assumed." He nodded.

"Yeah, I didn't want mine changed." They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence and Callie moved a leftover bit of cake around her plate with her fork as she tried to think of something to bring back the earlier mood.

"Tell me a story about you and Chance than. The funniest most embarrassing one you can think of. That way when I come out to the shop next time I can tease Chance about it." He looked up at her and saw that she wasn't joking. Her suggestion was brilliant and a dozen stories immediately rose to his mind of the time he and Chance were kittens. He couldn't help but smile softly at the memories as he chose a story to tell her.

They spent the next two hours trading stories and drinking coffee. It wasn't until their waitress brought them their bill that they were finally forced to stop. When Jake looked at the bill he realized that it was considerably less expensive than it should have been and he called her back to show her the mistake. She looked at the bill and smiled at him.

"Don't worry about it dear. I'm the only one working tonight aside from Sam in the kitchen and you two had such a good time tonight that I decided to leave a couple things off." Jake stared at her with his mouth open for a second before nodding and paying her. When Callie tried to give him the money for her part he declined.

"I told you business is good for us. I can afford to pay for cake and coffee." She smiled at him as she gathered her laptop and he escorted her to the door.

"Where is your car? I'll walk you to it." She shook her head.

"I only live a couple blocks away so I walked. I can walk home just fine." She turned away but he reached out and grabbed her elbow.

"No way. I'm not letting you walk, it's late. Come on I'll take you home." He pointed towards his jeep and she nodded and turned to follow him. As she had promised the ride was short and it passed mostly in silence. When he pulled up in front of her apartment building he smiled at her.

"Curb side service as promised." She smiled at him.

"Thank you Jake. I appreciate it." She fell silent for a moment before speaking up again. "Do you think we could do this again? I had fun tonight." He stared at her in silence and she was afraid he was going to say no before he finally nodded and a grin spread across his face.

"Sure if you want. That would be great. I know I would love to." A smile broke across her face and she pulled out a small note pad from her pocket and wrote down her phone number before pulling the piece of paper free and passing the pad to Jake.

He took the pad and noticed that his hands were shaking slightly as he jotted down his cell phone number. He ripped off the piece of paper and they exchanged the sheets. He stared down at the paper in shock. He had never expected that his little self pity party from earlier that evening would lead to this. He folded the paper carefully and tucked it inside his wallet before glancing back at her. She looked up at him.

"Thanks Jake. I had a lot of fun tonight." He nodded in agreement. Without warning she leaned over and kissed his cheek. It happened so fast that he wasn't sure it was real but when he looked back at her and saw her blushing and knew that it had. Suddenly the heat rushed to his cheeks and he could hear her laughing quietly at him. He managed to get the color of his face back to normal before turning to her.

"What was that for?" She feigned being hurt.

"For staying with me for the evening. I can't wait till I see Chance again. He is going to hate you after I talk to him."

"I think I can defend myself." She moved a little closer to him leaned her head on his shoulder.

"You had better because I owe you dinner. You paid tonight so next time is my treat." Jake turned his head slightly so he could see her better and slipped his arm around her slim waist. He really had no idea what he was doing but since she had initiated contact he was not going to push her away.

"Callie can I kiss you?" She seemed shocked by the question and he was afraid that he had pushed too far.

"What was it you said earlier about an eye for an eye? I think it would be only fair since I stole the first kiss don't you?" He grinned for a second before shifting a little and catching her lips. They pulled apart seconds later and just grinned at each other. Slowly she pulled back.

"You're a good kisser. I need to get upstairs and get to bed though. I have to be at work by eight. Jake looked down at the clock on his dashboard and drew in a sharp breath. It was after two in the morning.

"Chance is going to kill me." A frown crossed Callie's face and she looked guilty for a second before he shook his head and looked back at her. "It's not your fault. He's just going to have to deal with it because I wouldn't change this evening for anything." Her smile returned and she gathered her things before climbing out of the jeep. Jake watched her until she got the door to her apartment building open. As she was about to disappear inside she turned to him and waved before blowing him a kiss. He waved back and waited until the door had swung shut behind her before pulling away from the curb.

Chance was going to kill him. He knew it. He had completely blown off their patrol and not bothered to call. He reached down and flipped his cell phone on. He had turned it off sometime during his conversation with Callie because he didn't want to be interrupted when Chance tried to call him. There were three calls from Chance. Yes, he was definitely dead when he got back to the yard.

By the time he got back it was almost three in the morning. Much to his dismay he noticed that the lights were still on in the living room. He parked the jeep in its usual spot and took a deep breath before heading in the house. Chance had obviously heard him pull up because he was waiting by the time he reached the porch.

"Where the hell have you been Jake? I was worried sick. You missed patrol, you turned your phone off, I had no clue where the heck you were going." Jake instantly felt his bad mood returning.

"Don't scream at me Chance. I needed a night out. It happens occasionally okay?" Chance seemed to deflate.

"I was worried about you. You just stormed out of here without a word about where you were going and when you didn't come back for patrol I got a little freaked." Jake sighed.

"I should have called. I'm sorry." He tried to slip past Chance but the older kat blocked his path.

"You aren't even going to tell me where you were all night?"

"I drove around for a couple hours and I stopped at a coffee shop I used to go to during college. I spent the rest of the evening there." Jake had no intention of mentioning Callie.

"So you just sat at a coffee shop for hours doing nothing?"

"I have some books in the jeep. I went and I read. I just needed a quiet evening out Chance. I'll make sure I call next time." Chance didn't seem quite convinced but he allowed Jake to move past him. He turned to follow him inside.

"You heading to bed?" Jake yawned and nodded.

"Yeah. I'll see you in the morning. Hopefully we can finish up the rest of the cars in the lot by early afternoon. I don't think any of them have anything major to fix so they should be quick fixes." Chance nodded and they made their way upstairs and to their perspective rooms in silence.

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**I have a question that everyone has finished reading the chapter. **

**Should Chance be jealous of Jake and Callie or should he be happy for the two of them? Your task... Should you choose to accept it, is to review and let me know what you think.**

**I hope you guys don't hate me for the bad blood between Jake and Chance. I love the relationship the characters have in the show but I wanted to make my story unique and having Chance as the overprotective, highly concerned older brother worked well for my purposes. **

**The interaction between Jake and Callie was totally unplanned. I hadn't even planned to make this story romance but my muse started writing and I was happy with what it wrote so I'm not complaining. I know someone is going to say it so I'm just going to address it now. The characters in my fic are slightly younger in my fic than they appear to be in the show.**

**Jake is 25, Chance is 27 going on 28 and Callie is somewhere in between the two of them. She's closer to Jake's age than Chance's though.**

**I'll get more into the actual plot in the next chapter but I hope everyone liked this chapter and decides to review. There are SOOOOO few SWAT Kats fans out there and I try to review all the stories I can when they catch my interest. Let me know what you guys think. If you have written something just let me know and I'll gladly read it and drop you have review if I haven't done so already.**

**Well that is all for tonight. Catch you guys again soon. There won't be a long pause like last time. I promise.**

**Coldfire**


	4. Chapter 3

**AN: Wow, I am really proud of myself. Two new chapters within a couple of weeks instead of months of each other. Let's get out the streamers and confetti while I'm still on a role. **

**I hope everyone likes what I did with the new chapter. The really serious plot will start in the next chapter or so. It depends on a couple of factors but it will start soon. I promise.**

**To everyone who reviewed I love you all. Special thanks to Nyte Kat and Etherweil. You two have read pretty much every Swat Kats piece I have written and reviewed almost everytime. To everyone else thanks for the review. Be sure to sign in so I can reply to your reviews and give personal thank yous to everyone.**

**Okay on with the chapter

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Despite going to bed at such a late hour Jake woke up early. It was an old cycle with him. He hardly ever slept for longer than five or six hours in any given night. It aggravated Chance to no end and he constantly harped at him for not getting, what in was Chance's opinion, not enough sleep. It had never really bothered Jake though and he had gotten used to the pattern.

He rolled onto his side and tried to get back to sleep but knowing that it was a wasted effort he glanced at his clock and sighed in frustration. At wasn't even 7:00 am. The garage didn't technically open until 10:00 and he knew that Chance wouldn't wake up until the last possible minute. That left him two options. He could work on the cars that had been brought in for service or he could work in the hanger.

Knowing that the work load in the garage had been low over the last week he opted for the hanger. With another sigh he sat up and stretched. He had not taken the time to change when he had gotten back the night before and except for his boots he was still dressed as he had been. His sweatshirt and jeans smelled slightly of cigarette smoke and as he pulled his shirt over his head his nose caught the faint scent of Callie's perfume.

He still couldn't believe that the night before had turned out as it had. They would have to work something out if they wanted their budding relationship to grow. He couldn't be missing dates with her because of his alter-ego as a Swat Kat. To be truthful Callie called them in for most of the major things but still, having a relationship would be difficult.

He changed quickly and grabbed his MP3 player before he headed down to the hanger. The first thing he did when he arrived was put a pot of coffee on. Chance hadn't been happy when he had set up the coffee pot but the reality was that during the early days when he was working on the Turbokat he had spent more time in the hanger than he did the house.

When one got right down to it the Turbokat was his baby more than Chance's. Sure Chance flew her and he had helped him do the bulk of the heavy construction but everything else was Jake's. All of the design ideas, missiles, technical blueprints, and schematics came from his original plans. He had used some of the raw materials that they had found around the yard for the very basics but practically everything had been tweaked or altered by him to fit what he needed them to do. He had even designed the unique radar system that they used from scratch.

He knew that if he could move into the private sector and capitalize on even one of his ideas he could win a very lucrative military contract. Feral may have hated what the Swat Kats did but Feral knew top notch military technology when he saw it. Feral was the problem though. He had forced the two of them into running the salvage yard and kept them as a marginalized part of the Enforcer squadron. His role as a Swat Kat also prevented him from marketing his ideas because of their uniqueness. He would be giving away their identity in a heartbeat.

It frustrated him to no end and what hurt more was that he couldn't tell Chance about any of it. Chance loved what they did. As a vigilante he was finally free from all the restrictions that had hindered his abilities when they were in the Enforcers. Yes Chance was an amazing pilot but he was also hot headed and a glory-hound. He loved the attention that being a Swat Kat provided him and didn't even notice that Jake wasn't entirely happy with the arrangement.

He knew that if he complained that Chance would accuse him of not caring and that couldn't be further from the truth. He cared, he really did. He loved what they were able to accomplish. He was just frustrated with doing so much of the work and getting none of the credit for the time and skill that went into it. He was also sick of being constantly bashed by Feral whenever they did something that helped save the city. The kat had no tact in his opinion but he kept his opinions to himself and allowed Chance to vent every time Feral opened his mouth.

The smell of fresh coffee had filled the hanger and he grabbed one of the thermal mugs that had been draining on the dish rack near the sink and filled it. He added some cream and a couple tablespoons of sugar before stirring the hot liquid and screwing the mug's top into place. He took a small drink to test the liquid's heat and decided to wait for few minutes for it to cool before drinking the rest.

In the meantime he scanned the hanger and began making a mental list of what needed to be done. There hadn't been a major threat to the city in a while so most everything was still in good shape. He finally settled on working on his missiles. He had realized early on during their crime fighting career that it never hurt to keep a small stockpile of extra weaponry around if he had the time.

He took another sip of his coffee and sighed. He knew he shouldn't be up this early and that the coffee didn't help him sleep but he didn't care. Chance was going to be pissed when he found him in the hanger at such an early hour but he didn't care about that either. It had suddenly hit him about a week ago that he didn't really care about a lot of things anymore. The realization had been both a weight off his shoulders and a burden at the same time. He knew that he should care but he just couldn't muster the energy to do so.

The night before had been a perfect example. If he had really cared he would have left Callie and come back so they could go on patrol. That was what Chance would have wanted him to do but it had been so easy to brush off the fact that he had other responsibilities for an evening.

He picked up his MP3 from where he had laid it when he began to make the coffee and began navigating through his song library. If Chance was awake he would have just put the music on the stereo but he didn't want to wake Chance. He finally picked a band that fit his mood and almost immediately the loud mix of drums, guitar, and screamed vocals drowned out the world and he was able to concentrate singularly on the batch of match-head missiles that were his current focus.

SKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSK

Chance awoke to the annoying buzzing of his alarm clock and immediately considered throwing the annoying instrument against the wall. He had been angry at Jake when the younger kat hadn't come home, angry and worried. He had had to fight the urge to go out and find his brother and drag him home by his tail.

He knew that Jake was capable of taking care of himself but there were times when he felt the urge to play the big brother card more than others. Jake's attitude of late was more than enough reason in his opinion. Jake was normally a very easy going kat but when something got under his fur he got moody and impossible to talk to.

Chance figured that whatever had gotten into Jake this time had something to do with his parent's death. It was a logical assumption in his mind. He knew that he had probably been a little hard on Jake the night before and decided that he should probably apologize. He might have over reacted but not knowing where his younger brother was had scared him. He reached over and shut the alarm off before pulling on a pair of jeans over his boxers and heading for Jake's room.

He found it empty and growled softly under his breath. It worried him when Jake didn't sleep. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and headed downstairs. When he didn't find Jake in the kitchen or living room he made a beeline for the hanger and was not the least bit surprised to find Jake working on a growing pile of, if he was not mistaken were the cores for scrambler missiles, to be truthful he honestly had no idea. He had tried to have Jake explain the different types of missiles they used but he had only ended up hopelessly confused. He knew enough to recognize them when they were fully assembled but other than that he was sunk.

Jake had his back to him and even from all the way across the hanger he could hear the faint sounds of music radiating from Jake's MP3 player. That meant that Jake had no clue that Chance was awake, let alone standing behind him. Chance suddenly noticed the smell of coffee and sighed as he glanced over toward the evil little machine that Jake had insisted in installing. He noticed with dissatisfaction that the pot was relatively empty which meant that Jake had been in the hanger for a couple hours at least.

He made his way over to Jake and walked into the younger kat's line of vision. Despite his proximity it still took Jake about a minute to actually notice him. When he finally did so he pulled the headphones from his ears but didn't turn off the music.

"Morning Chance, sleep well?" Chance ignored the conversational tone.

"Yeah I slept but you didn't. How long have you been awake?" He saw Jake bit his lower lip for a second. A sign which Chance had come to recognize as something he did when he was thinking about lying.

"Since about seven." Chance was surprised and a little shocked. Even though Jake had considered lying Chance was pretty sure he hadn't.

"So you got about what four hours?" Jake nodded. "That isn't enough and you know it." Jake shook his head defiantly.

"Drop it Chance, I'm fine."

"NO, I'm not just going to drop it Jake. Four hours isn't enough sleep and you know it." Jake sighed in frustration and buried his head in his hands.

"Do we have to fight this early in the morning Chance?" Chance, who had been ready to argue his point, was surprised.

"I'm worried about you buddy." Jake looked up at him.

"I know you are. You are always worrying about something. If it isn't how much I sleep, it's how much coffee I've had, or how much I work, or whether I've eaten or not. I know you worry and I appreciate the concern I really do but sometimes you need to back down and let me have my space."

"You are acting like me worrying about you is a bad thing." Jake shook his head.

"I'm not saying that."

"Than what are you trying to..."

"If you would let me finish you might know." Jake felt anger rising within him and he grappled to keep it under control. He did not want to fight with Chance. He took a deep breath and spoke. "I know you care Chance. I care about you too but I need you to back down a little. I'm stressed and I have a lot on my mind, if I need to slow down I will. Last night I needed some time to myself so I took it." He sighed in frustration and rubbed his eyes. "I'm sorry I missed our patrol. I shouldn't have done it but I needed the evening to relax." He sighed and took another breath to ready him for the last part and the outburst that would most likely follow. "Sometimes this job is too much."

Chance stared at him and Jake suddenly felt vulnerable and transparent. The little speech he had just given was probably the most open he had been with Chance in a long time but Chance needed to hear every word of it. Just as he expected Chance exploded.

"Fine, we will just cut patrols because you don't feel up to it. This isn't about us Jake. It is about the good we can do and the kats we can help." His words made Jake want to scream but he kept himself under control and glared at his older brother.

"Sometimes it needs to be about us too Chance. I know we do a lot of good but we can't keep giving and giving a hundred and ten percent of ourselves every time we fly."

"Maybe you can't but I can." That was the last straw for Jake. He narrowed his eyes at Chance and the older kat knew that he had gone too far.

"Fine do it yourself then. You won't be able to keep going without my help."

"Watch me." Jake couldn't help but smirk at Chance.

"What happens when you run out of missiles or when something goes wrong with the jet and you have no clue how to fix it?" Suddenly Chance didn't seem as confident as he had a few seconds before.

"I'll figure it out."

"That's a load of crud and you know it Chance." Jake picked up one of the match-head missile cores he had been working on and held it up. "What is this the core for?" He knew instantly that Chance had no clue but he waited for an answer. Chance for his part also knew he had no clue so he went with his earlier assumption.

"A scrambler missile."

"Match-head missile." Jake set the core back with the others and grabbed his MP3 player from the table. He walked towards Chance. "You had better learn quick. Now if you will excuse me I have cars to work on in the garage." He slipped the headphones over his ears and effectively blocked out any comment that Chance made to his retreating back as he made his way up to the house.

Chance watched him go with a pained look on his face before glancing back at the hanger. His eyes settled on the jet and he growled softly and balled his paw into a fist at his side. He knew that Jake was right. He was always right, damn him for always being right. They couldn't keep going like they did at times and there was no way that he could keep going without Jake helping him. Sure there were blueprints and diagrams for all of their equipment but the real knowledge was tucked away in Jake's head. Chance may have had enough mechanical skill to repair the cars that came in on a daily basic but mechanical engineering of the Turbokat's caliber was Jake's specialty and he couldn't match his younger brother's quality of work.

He growled again and hurried after Jake. He had to set things right between them. He had never meant to fight with Jake and the last thing he wanted was for a rift to be formed between them. Jake was his best friend and had been his best friend even before Jake had lost his parents. There was no way he was going to risk throwing it all away because he was being a jerk.

He found Jake working under the hood of a car that had been brought in near the end of their shift the day before. With a sigh he stood back and waited for Jake to acknowledge him. It didn't take long. Jake hated people hovering over him when he was trying to work and the younger kat finally turned around and glared at him.

"What Chance?" He pulled the headphones down and waited impatiently for Chance to say whatever was on his mind. Chance swallowed heavily and sighed. He had to force his hands to relax as he looked at Jake.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad. You are right, as usual." He paused to measure Jakes reaction for a moment before continuing. "Things get so hectic sometimes that we need to try and slow them down. We can cut back on the patrols if you want. To tell the truth it would be nice to have a quiet evening to ourselves occasionally." Jake nodded, thoughts of Callie coming to mind.

"Yeah it would." Chance continued.

"I can't do this without you buddy. I wouldn't know the first place to start. We wouldn't be doing this if you hadn't come up with the idea to and it just wouldn't be the same if I was flying solo." Jake sighed. He knew that this would be the closest that Chance came to an apology and he really didn't want to stop flying. However, if that was what it took to make Chance a little more aware than he had been more than willing to make the older kat work without him for a while.

"Fine. Just quit breathing down my neck. Give me my space when I need it and we will try to work past this whole mess." Jake leaned back against the car he was working on in order to watch Chance's facial reactions. The larger kat had never been one who could hide what he was thinking. He had noticed over the years that Chance's emotions almost always played out on his face and he was watching closely to see how the older kat was really taking the situation. He knew that he had hurt Chance with his comments and that agreeing to fly with him didn't really fix the underlying issues. When it didn't look like Chance was going to respond he took matters into his own hands and turned back to the car.

"Let's try to finish up the cars in the lot. We can talk more about this later." For a moment he thought that Chance was going to protest but he obviously thought better of it and nodded before turning and making his way over to another car on the other side of the garage. Jake waited just long enough to let out the breath he had been holding. He had gotten lucky just then but he had no doubt that by the end of the day Chance would be harassing him again. He also had to figure out a way to tell Chance about Callie.

Jake knew that Chance had a crush on Callie but he didn't know how deeply those feelings ran. His worst fear was that he would hurt Chance more deeply than anything else could but he would have to take that risk. He had cared about Callie for a long time and to know that she returned some of his feelings had left him reeling. It was too bad that he and Chance had so much tension between them right now or it would have been a lot easier to talk to him about Callie.

Deciding to follow his earlier advice he pushed the thoughts of Callie and their fight away for the time being and focused on the car in front of him. He really did want to finish the cars that they had so they could get them back to their owners. It was never a good idea to get too backlogged because they never knew when something would happen that would require the attention of the Swat Kats and it paid to be prepared just in case.

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**Okay, that was the chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed it. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to create more angst between Jake and Chance. Those of you who read "A Decision In the Dark" know my love for angst all too well. **

**Callie will be addressed in the next chapter and Dark Kat will appear back on the scene soon as well. That is your teaser for the next chapter so everybody go review and tell me how much you love/hate my work. I appreciate all criticism just don't flame me.**

**TATA for now,**

**Coldfire**


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